Murder Club - Mark Pearson [44]
‘I’m Detective Inspector Jack Delaney,’ he said. ‘And this is my assistant, Detective Constable Sally Cartwright.’
‘Lily Crabbe, the consultant registrar,’ said the doctor, a woman in her late twenties, but didn’t hold her hand out. The nurse, an older man, nodded but didn’t speak.
‘How is she?’
Dr Crabbe flicked a glance through the window. ‘She’s an elderly woman. We’re keeping a close eye on her.’
‘Was she attacked?’
‘That is more in your line of expertise, surely?’
‘The inspector means were there any signs of assault?’
‘There are bruises on her arms and legs, and her head has suffered some trauma.’
‘So she could have been attacked?’
‘She could have been, Detective Inspector. We ran an ECG scan and it looks like she has suffered from some form of stroke. That could of course have occurred if she was being assaulted. It could also have occurred and caused her to fall. Her injuries would be consistent with that.’
‘Even though there was snow on the ground?’
‘Hard snow, it was cold out there this morning.’
‘Yes. And the pavement would have been frozen. How do you rate her chances?’
‘I’m not a loss adjuster, Detective. She has a chance, but she is not in a good place right now.’
Delaney nodded, pointed to the next room along and walked towards it. ‘And the homeless man?’
‘Bible Steve.’
‘You know him?’
‘He’s been in before. The ambulance crew recognised him.’
‘How is he?’
‘To be honest, Detective Delaney, the fact that he is alive at all is what I would class as a minor miracle.’
‘How so?’
‘He was attacked some time in the night, as far as I can tell. It was cold this morning, it was below freezing last night. He was knocked into a comatose state. God knows how long he spent out there. He’s been living rough on the streets for years. He had a blood alcohol level that was through the roof. He should be dead, in my opinion.’
‘Somebody else’s opinion too, it would look like,’ said Sally Cartwright as she looked through the window. Bible Steve had as many tubes and monitors attached to him as the Chinese woman next door. But his hair was matted with dried blood, where it was visible; the rest was hidden under a thick white bandage wrapped around the top of his head. ‘My diagnosis … that looks like a clear case of attempted murder.’
‘I would hold fire on the “attempted” if I were you, Detective Constable,’ said the young doctor.
Delaney turned back to look at her. ‘You don’t think he’s going to make it?’
‘It’s not looking good for him, given what I said earlier. He’s in a coma. I’m not sure he has the health to pull himself out of it.’
‘There’s nothing you can do to help?’
‘We’ll do everything we can, of course. But short of further divine intervention, I am afraid his chances aren’t good.’
‘Why would someone want to kill a harmless old street person?’ asked DC Cartwright.
‘He’s not harmless, Sally. Look at his knuckles. “Slimline” Matthews tells me Bible Steve is a bit of a fighter.’
‘Let’s hope he is,’ said Dr Crabbe.
‘I still don’t get it. Why would someone want to murder him?’
‘This is London, Constable,’ said Jack Delaney. ‘Who needs a reason!’
31.
DR LAURA CHILVERS came out of the police surgeon’s office, her face drawn, her eyes still haunted, her pupils dancing nervously.
‘I’ll make sure this is given top priority, Laura,’ said Kate Walker reassuringly as she followed close behind.
‘I don’t want anyone knowing, promise me,’ Laura whispered, leaning in and gripping Kate’s arm tightly.
‘I already have promised.’
‘I know you have, sorry. It’s my head. I can’t take it all in.’
‘I understand, Laura. It’s a perfectly natural state after what you have been through.’
‘It’s just the paperwork, I don’t want you getting into trouble.’
‘Let me worry about that. I have plenty of favours I can call in.’
‘Thanks, Kate. For everything.’
‘I haven’t done anything. But I will. Anything